12 November 2015

Cape Town: Castle of Good Hope gets an extensive makeover!

South Africa's oldest existing colonial building, the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, is receiving an R84-million makeover. The Castle was build between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company and served as a replenishment station for ships passing the coast around the Cape on long voyages between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). It now houses the Castle Military Museum and Iziko Museums of Cape Town. The restoration, which is expected to take 21 month, will include the refurbishment of the five bastions (Leerdam, Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje) as well as the repainting and recarpeting of Castle's seven buildings. The murals will also be refurbished and the Dolphin Pool will be re-plastered and renovated.


Due to the restoration and renovation at the Castle of Good Hope, the following Iziko Museum spaces at the Castle will be closed until further notice:
  • The Secunde's House
  • The Granary which houses the exhibition Fired: an exhibition of South African Ceramics
  • The Good Hope Gallery
The Castle of Good Hope will remain open to the public during this period. The William Fehr collection at the Castle is also currently open to the public.

The Castle of Good Hope is open seven days a week, except on Christmas Day & New Year's Day. The castle gates open at 9am and close at 4pm, with the last visitors admitted at 3.30pm. The entry fee is R30 (R25 on Sundays) for adults and R15 (R10) for children/students.

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